Police Magazine Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Woman Sells Fake “Duff” Beer

A Brisbane, Australia, woman pleaded guilty to selling three cases of Duff brand beer on eBay. The problem was the beer didn’t exist.

February 3, 2005
2 min to read


A Brisbane, Australia, woman pleaded guilty to selling three cases of Duff brand beer on eBay. The problem was the beer didn’t exist.

Tara Edith Woodford, 28, pleaded guilty in northern Queensland state to three charges of dishonestly gaining money by false pretenses.

Ad Loading...

According to the prosecutor for the case, three separate buyers paid Woodford a total of 1,951 Australian dollars (U.S. $1,511) for the nonexistent beer after posting the products for sale on the eBay auction Website.

The “Duff” brand of beer was originally fictionalized on the animated television show The Simpsons. Although two breweries sold their own “Duff Beer” in Australia in the 1990s, it was taken off the market because Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. does not license The Simpson’s merchandising for products that could be harmful to children.

While remaining cases of Duff Beer exist and have been sold for as much as A$1,000 (U.S. $774) on eBay, Woodford admits she never possessed any such beer cans in the first place.

Three buyers contacted police after they paid Woodford for the products but did not receive them. She was easy to track down because she listed her real name and address on eBay.

Woodford, whose lawyer says she used the money she received to buy Christmas presents and clothing for her four children, was placed on 18 months of probation and was ordered to reimburse the money and undergo counseling.

More Technology

Promotional graphic for the 2026 Vision FirstNet Users Summit, Sept. 14–16, featuring a session on grassroots advocacy for public safety leadership. Registration is open, shown over a city and mountain landscape.
TechnologyAugust 20, 2026

2026 Vision FirstNet Users Summit to Host Emerging Leaders Training on Grassroots Advocacy for Public Safety

“Emerging Leaders Training: Understanding the Importance of Grassroots Advocacy for Public Safety," a session during the 2026 Vision FirstNet Users Summit, will offer a roadmap for unified advocacy at the federal level.

Read More →
A technician wearing sunglasses holds a tablet beside tripod-mounted electronic detection equipment on a rooftop, with office buildings visible in the background.
TechnologyAugust 20, 2026

Motorola Solutions Completes Acquisition of D-Fend Solutions

Motorola Solutions has acquired D-Fend Solutions, an industry leader in counter-drone technology. This deal provides public safety and enterprise customers with access to advanced counter-unmanned aerial systems.

Read More →
ZeroEyes graphic featuring Camden, Delaware Police and Caesar Rodney School District emblems over a blue-tinted classroom background, with the ZeroEyes logo displayed across the bottom.
TechnologyAugust 13, 2026

ZeroEyes, Advantech & Camden Police Partner to Bring AI Gun Detection Technology to Delaware School District

ZeroEyes has partnered with Advantech and the Camden Police Department to deploy ZeroEyes’ AI gun detection and intelligent situational awareness platform at Delaware’s Caesar Rodney School District (CRSD).

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Roadside traffic monitoring equipment mounted on a utility pole overlooks a passing car, illustrating wireless vehicle detection technology used for traffic management, signal optimization, or roadway data collection.
TechnologyAugust 6, 2026

Leonardo U.S. Cyber & Security Solutions Introduces SignalTrace, the Next Evolution in Electronic Signature Detection Technology

SignalTrace reflects years of product refinement and a clearer expression of the technology’s purpose of recognizing and correlating electronic signatures in publicly broadcast wireless signals to reveal patterns, relationships, and trends that might otherwise go undetected.

Read More →
Overhead view of a crowded public space with AI-generated boxes obscuring faces, illustrating automated facial anonymization and privacy protection in video surveillance. Pimloc logo appears in the lower-right corner.
TechnologyJuly 24, 2026

Pimloc Launches Secure File Sharing to Streamline Release of Redacted Video

Pimloc’s Secure File Sharing lets organizations deliver redacted video, audio, and documents through expiring, passcode-protected links, accelerating delivery while reducing security, compliance, and chain-of-custody risks.

Read More →
Promotional graphic for the 2026 Vision FirstNet Users Summit, Sept. 14–16, 2026, featuring a Las Vegas skyline and highlighting the session, “Bridging Broadband and LMR: FirstNet Fusion and the Rise of Hybrid Devices,” with registration open.
TechnologyJuly 16, 2026

2026 Vision FirstNet Users Summit to Explore How FirstNet Fusion and LMR Are Redefining Mission-Critical Communications

One of the sessions at the 2026 Vision FirstNet Users Summit will highlight hybrid devices bridging broadband and LMR. “Bridging Broadband and LMR: FirstNet Fusion and the Rise of Hybrid Devices” will explore how public safety agencies can modernize their communications environments while maintaining the reliability of land mobile radio.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Cellebrite and SkySafe logos appear over a city skyline at sunset with a drone in flight, illustrating a partnership focused on drone detection, investigation, and public safety technology.
TechnologyJuly 9, 2026

Cellebrite Expands Exclusive SkySafe Partnership to Deliver Immediate Drone Detection and Airspace Intelligence for Digital Investigations at Scale

By integrating SkySafe's drone detection and airspace intelligence with Cellebrite's platform, agencies can connect real-time and historical UAV flight data with mobile forensic evidence, all in one place.

Read More →
DroneShield report cover featuring a commercial airliner in flight against a dramatic sky. The publication, Airspace Under Pressure, focuses on counter-UAS readiness for airports and critical infrastructure.
TechnologyJuly 9, 2026

New DroneShield Report Reveals Serious Gaps in Airport, Critical Infrastructure Counter-Drone Security

Survey results, as part of “Airspace Under Pressure: A Global Assessment of Counter-UAS Readiness Across Airports and Critical Infrastructure,” indicate that 60% of organizations say they lack legal authority to act against unauthorized drones.

Read More →
Screenshot of Veritone Redact software automatically detecting and obscuring a driver's face in dashcam video. Headline reads, “Accelerating Public Records Fulfillment,” highlighting AI-powered video redaction for public safety agencies.
TechnologyJuly 2, 2026

CHP to Accelerate Evidence Redaction & Public Records Fulfillment Through Veritone Redact

With Veritone Redact, the California Highway Patrol can redact video, audio, and image-based evidence, reducing time spent on evidence preparation and public record requests.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Collage showing rooftop surveillance and radar equipment installed on commercial buildings. One image features a close-up of mounted sensors and antennas; the other shows multiple monitoring systems across a rooftop. Echodyne logo displayed prominently below.
TechnologyJune 18, 2026

Echodyne Expands Public Safety Radar Applications Through Partnership with Axon

Echodyne has partnered with Axon to support safer and more scalable drone operations across law enforcement, homeland security, and Drone as First Responder programs globally.

Read More →